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From: bowdidge@xxxxxxxxxxx (Robert Bowdidge)
Newsgroups: alt.architecture
Subject: Re: book suggestions
Message-ID: <54163@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 7 Sep 93 21:14:45 GMT
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In article <26gi1aINN7nn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> john70@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
writes:
> some light architectural reading to consider as a gift:
> invisible cities, Italo Calvino
> anything on Tadoa Ando
> a modern architecture text, very helpful
> Learning from Las Vegas, Venturi
> or just get a nice picture type book of any architect you think
> is interesting.
For the do-it-yourself-ers and friends who really enjoy livable spaces,
give them:
Alexander, Christopher.
A pattern language : towns, buildings, construction / Christopher
Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein, with Max Jacobson, Ingrid
Fiksdahl-King, Shlomo Angel. New York : Oxford University Press, 1977.
This is a wonderful book intended to help a person design and build a
livable house. It relies on a set of patterns/rules which seem to
promote a good living environment. These patterns range from city-level
("make pedestrian-only spaces" to room-level ("daylight on two sides").
For each pattern, there is a discussion of why the rule is a good idea
(taking many examples from existing cities and towns, modern and ancient
architecture, and recent studies) and a set of references to similar rules.
The last section suggests patterns for building using cheap and available
materials.
The patterns are meant to be a set of rules that a designer usually has
internally -- in a companion volume, the author mentions that every architect/
designer has common ideas and rules that are used in the building. Thus,
Frank Lloyd Wright could be said to have had his own pattern language
(in his head) that led him towards similar designs. In the design
of computer programs, some have referred to these patterns as "cliches" --
design elements that are larger than programming language statements (the
lowest level building blocks) that a programmer uses without thinking
of its internals.
The book tends to be critical of modern architecture, both for choice of
materials and building layout.
One of the best books I've read this year.
-- Robert
bowdidge@xxxxxxxxxxx
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From: bowdidge@xxxxxxxxxxx (Robert Bowdidge)
Newsgroups: alt.architecture
Subject: Re: book suggestions
Message-ID: <54163@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 7 Sep 93 21:14:45 GMT
References: <26gi1aINN7nn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sender: news@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Organization: CSE Dept., U.C. San Diego
Lines: 45
Nntp-Posting-Host: beowulf.ucsd.edu
In article <26gi1aINN7nn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> john70@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
writes:
> some light architectural reading to consider as a gift:
> invisible cities, Italo Calvino
> anything on Tadoa Ando
> a modern architecture text, very helpful
> Learning from Las Vegas, Venturi
> or just get a nice picture type book of any architect you think
> is interesting.
For the do-it-yourself-ers and friends who really enjoy livable spaces,
give them:
Alexander, Christopher.
A pattern language : towns, buildings, construction / Christopher
Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein, with Max Jacobson, Ingrid
Fiksdahl-King, Shlomo Angel. New York : Oxford University Press, 1977.
This is a wonderful book intended to help a person design and build a
livable house. It relies on a set of patterns/rules which seem to
promote a good living environment. These patterns range from city-level
("make pedestrian-only spaces" to room-level ("daylight on two sides").
For each pattern, there is a discussion of why the rule is a good idea
(taking many examples from existing cities and towns, modern and ancient
architecture, and recent studies) and a set of references to similar rules.
The last section suggests patterns for building using cheap and available
materials.
The patterns are meant to be a set of rules that a designer usually has
internally -- in a companion volume, the author mentions that every architect/
designer has common ideas and rules that are used in the building. Thus,
Frank Lloyd Wright could be said to have had his own pattern language
(in his head) that led him towards similar designs. In the design
of computer programs, some have referred to these patterns as "cliches" --
design elements that are larger than programming language statements (the
lowest level building blocks) that a programmer uses without thinking
of its internals.
The book tends to be critical of modern architecture, both for choice of
materials and building layout.
One of the best books I've read this year.
-- Robert
bowdidge@xxxxxxxxxxx